Dylan Raiola's Comments On Dante Moore’s Hidden Edge Amid Injury Recovery

EUGENE - Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore remains sidelined as the team travels to face the Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday, Oct. 24. He has missed two full games since sustaining a concussion against USC on Sept. 26 but backup Dylan Raiola is still benefiting from his experience behind the scenes.

Moore’s most valuable work for Oregon currently may be happening in a room that fans never see. He's become an invaluable resource for the quarterbacks room that is leading the team in his absence.

Dylan Raiola’s Insight Into Dante Moore’s Injury Recovery

Raiola offered a glimpse into that relationship, describing how Moore’s unique perspective is helping turn preparation into confidence, as Raiola works through situations before he has to solve them on the field.

“Obviously he's at practice doing as much as he can, but most of his help comes in the meeting rooms,” Raiola said. “Dude's played a lot of ball. He's got a lot of reps in this offense and plays that we've ran.”

Moore’s familiarity with Oregon’s playbook gives those conversations a practical and rare foundation. His experience becomes something the rest of the room can use.

"He's just more just giving us game experiences that he's seen for himself. And it gives us kind of a perspective on what we can, think to that's going to happen on this play or that play. It kind of helps us speed up the process. So we're not learning in the game, 'All right, they're going to play like this,'" Raiola continued.

"We kind of have that peace of mind going into the game," Raiola said.

Dylan Raiola Makes Case To Start at Quarterback As Injuries Mount

Raiola has not been announced as Oregon's starter vs. Illinois but he made a great case for himself in the comeback 17-14 win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Raiola gave Oregon the spark it desperately needed against the team he transferred from, when he entered for Brock Thomas to begin the fourth quarter. The Ducks generated 151 yards in the fourth quarter, more than in the first three combined. Raiola capped a 20-play, 82-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jamari Johnson with 28 seconds remaining.

Now the Ducks are 4-2 and the offense looks very different than what was expected to begin the season. On the injury report released Wednesday, Moore, wide receivers Evan Stewart and Jeremiah McClellan, and offensive linemen Trent Ferguson and Immanuel Iheanacho are all listed as "out."

Dante Moore’s Experience Pays Off Behind The Scenes

Moore has found a way to keep contributing to his team, which illuminates who he is as a teammate and a leader.

Moore has practiced and participated in pregame warmups during the last two weeks, maintaining his infectious energy and familiar smile while unable to take the field with his teammates.

In a moment that the TV broadcast didn't show after the win over the Cornhuskers, Raiola embraced Moore, who was in street clothes. Moore leaned in to share a few words in his ear before the two ran toward Oregon’s tunnel and the locker room together.

Raiola’s comments aren’t the only insight into the working relationship between the two quarterbacks. Back in January, when the Ducks landed Raiola through the transfer portal, Moore made it clear he wanted to help his new teammate succeed.

While some athletes might feel threatened by a new player entering their position room, Moore emphasized the positive aspects of having another talented quarterback to push him.

"Yeah, (Raiola) is a great dude," Moore said.

Moore compared the situation to his own experience transferring to Oregon from UCLA before the 2024 season, where he backed up and learned behind now-Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel.

"I wanna make sure that I give him my ideas, my thoughts - like Dillon Gabriel did for me and make sure that I just give him the resources to make sure he's better on his game. But I know when he comes here, he's not gonna fall and not push me. He's gonna push me and compete and have fun. I'm glad to be able to see him," Moore said.

As the Ducks look to build on their 11-0 road record in Big Ten play, Raiola will carry some of Moore’s experience onto the field with him. Even while limited physically, Moore is helping Oregon prepare to keep that streak alive.

Kickoff at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill. is at noon P.T. on Oct. 24 and the TV broadcast is the Big Ten Network.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.